Why do we have kids?

Alot has happened recently that has me questioning -  why do we have kids? From facebook groups for babies passing well before their time to dear friends grappling with diagnoses no parent should ever have to hear. Nightmares and skinned knees, broken hearts, broken spirits, weekly visits to the pediatrician to clear up illnesses that just won't go - why do we do it to ourselves? Before having kids I didn't know how vulnerable they leave you. You open your heart to disappointment, fear and heartache. A very wise woman once told me that every time you see your baby hurt it leaves little scars on your heart. So wouldn't it be easier to just not deal with it?

Without kids my husband and I could take that Fiji vacation we've always dreamed of. I wouldn't be up at night worrying about how we're  going to pay for school. I could sleep 7 hours straight. I could take up a hobby, pursue some interests. My house would be clean and I could afford to furnish it in whatever matter I deemed appropriate, white couches and all. I wouldn't get a lump in my throat every time I thought about something happening to them. I could go to the bathroom by myself.

So why do we do it? Because they have provided my life more meaning in the four short years since becoming a parent than in the entire 30 before. Because my heart has grown in ways I didn't know possible. I have laughed so hard water has come out my nose and I have cried in frustration. And cuddling during story time makes my heart melt. I have created life, and now I get to cultivate it and watch it grow. And seeing the pride they take in learning things that I take for granted is pretty awesome. I get to have dance parties and spin around in the grass until I get dizzy. I bake cupcakes and clean up finger paint messes. Yes, I have wiped countless noses and booties. But I have also witnessed naked kids riding scooters through the house. I am smarter because of them. They have taught me that at the end of the day birds travel in flocks to Hobby Lobby and that the moon likes guacamole. Oh, and if you have to reach the moon, a giraffe is your best bet. And when I hear them giggling together its impossible not to smile. Sometimes my heart feels like it is going to burst. Because I can say that I honestly, truly know love. Mad, passionate, all-encompassing love.

They make me want to strive to be the best person I can be, because I want them to be the best people they can be. And I want so bad for them to be proud of me. They teach me that life is made up of tiny moments. And all the imperfections in those moments. They are beautiful, amazing, innocent people that view the world as a wondrous place.  They make me keenly aware of my own mortality, and how there are no guarantees in life. And it's hard. Really hard. And I know it will only get harder. I know that. And yet I accept the challenge. Because the rewards are so great.

Tucking my oldest in bed last night she wouldn't let me go. "Mommy - I love you sooo much. I just can't stop hugging you!" I think that pretty much sums it up.